St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-24
INTERSTATE.
The Inquiry Into the Methods of
the Standard Oil Company.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-The exam
ination of ]. NJ. Culp, general fraight
agent of the Louisville q Nashville rail
road, was continued before the inter
state commerce commission this morn
ing in connection with the Standard oil
cases. Witness hesitated a great deal
in giving his testimony and showed in
many respects lack of knowledge of
the rates and other matteeS in his de-
partment about which he was queS-
toned. In explanation, or as he termed
it, in justice to himself, he finally said
that the chief mau in his Office was in
ill-he alth and that he (witnesS) had
taken steps to have all matters respect
ing the arrangement and publication of
rates made clear. He aYerred with en-
phaSlS that there was no purpose on the
part of his company to conceal anything.
The chairman questioned witness for
half an hour respecting a printed tariff
sheet issued by witness giving, among
other information. the rates upon oil.
Witness admitted that the actual oil
rates were not those given on the sheet.
but were special rates issued from time
to time and posted in station houses.
The purpose of the chairman was to as
certain how shipper could learn from
the company's publications what were
the actual rates upon oil. Witness re-
piled at great length. but failed to make
the matter clear to any one. The chair
man finally advised witness to take
counsel with the attorney of his road as
to whether he was complying with the
fifth section of the interstate commerce
law respecting the publication of rates
and the filing of copies with the commits
sion. Witness promised effuSively that
mo ,..-1,r Il IL,
attention when he got home.
1t was developed that with ess' road
owned the fOrty-SiX cars upon which the
Standard Oil company had placed tanks.
These cars were nOt open for the use of
any others than the Standard Oil com
pany. 1t was further developed that
since April >, witness had refused to
give Mr.. Rice 0he complainant any
rates upon oil from Louisville to Nash
vile and Louisville to Montgomery,
DESPITE REPEATED APPLICATIONS
by letter, but had invariably referred
MIR. Rice to the agent of the connecting
line at Cincinnati, and had at times ac-
cOmpanied this reference with some
rather fOrcible expressions of opinion.
Following this, witness said in reply to
an inquiry that the rate had never been
S1.30 per barrel upon oil from Cincinnati
to Nashville. ThereupOn counsel pro-
duced letter from Brent Arnold, the
Cincinnati agent to whom witness re-
ferred Mr.. Rice, which letter, dated
May II, quoted rates from Cincinnati to
Louisville at $3.50, and another of a
similar purpOrt dated Sept. l.
Witness thought the first a mis-
take, but on the production of
quoted was based upon the local rate of
40 cents from Cincinnati to Louisville,
and 80 cents from Louisville to Nash
vile. The rates given the Standard
Oil company were % cents a hundred
pounds, barrel being reckOned at 375
pounds. The afternoon session of the
commission was consumed in the exam
inatiOn of II. COllbran. general freight
agent of the Cincinnati, New Orleans d
Texas Pacific railway. The general
theories governing railroad rates were
brought out with tedious minuteness.
The gist of the direct examination was
embodied in a query by Commissioner
Walker, who, calling attention to wit
ness admission that rates upon oil per
hundred pounds were 90 cents in bar
relS, and p cents when carried in tanks,
reckoning $4,000 pounds to the tank car,
asked if witness wished to offer any,
thing in explanation of this great dis
parity. Witness replied in the negative
nothing beyond what he had already
said in justification of the lower rates
upon tank oil. The commissioner
asked if the disparity would not
be still greater when, as
usual, the tank car held more than
$4,000 pounds, to which witness replied
in the affirmative. Witness averred
that the tank and barrel rates were open
alike to Mr.. Rice, the Standard Oil com
pany and all other shippers. He, how
ever, admitted as matter of fact that
the tank rates were only made between
points where the Standard Oil company
had their stationary tanks, because not
called for elsewhere. On croSS-exami-
nation by the attorneys of the witness
road the fact was brought out that three
tank cars of Oil had been hauled by the
company for other shippers than the
Standard Oil company, two of them
being for Mr.. Rice, the complainant In
one Of the latter instances-the only one